1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a system for dispensing dry product, and in particular, to a system for dispensing product in a manner that limits breakage or damage of the product.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is known in the art to utilize dispensers such as hoppers to dispense dry products, including particulate materials such as gravel and sand, and food products such as beans, peas, pastas and coffee. Such dispensers are very useful, since they allow for storage of and ready access to the material. These dispensers also allow for more versatility. If two such dispensers are appropriately associated with one apparatus, the user has the option of utilizing two different materials with the apparatus.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,657, to Ford, et al. (the xe2x80x9c""657 patentxe2x80x9d), discloses the use of multiple hoppers associated with a coffee grinder. In the invention of the ""657 patent, each hopper may be used to store a different kind of bean. In this manner, the same grinder may be used to grind caffeinated and decaffinated coffee. This allows the user of the grinder to utilize it in a more versatile and efficient manner. Further, the use of multiple hoppers is cost-efficient. Like other dried food products, coffee tends to be relatively easy to spill during the handling process. It is preferable to use a dispenser, since the coffee only has to be handled during the loading of the dispenser. This leads to less spillage and more efficiency.
The hoppers in the art generally take the form of sloped or vertical containers with an opening at the bottom, through which the stored particles may be dispensed. While this configuration is appropriate for the dispensing of food, it is not ideal. Since the opening of the hopper is at the bottom of the container, the particles in the container have a downward force caused by gravity. There is no way known in the art to control the downward push of the particles. As such, the opening and closing of the bottom of the hopper is not xe2x80x9cclean.xe2x80x9d That is, particles tend to become wedged in the moving part(s) at the bottom of the hopper. Alternatively, the moving part(s) may damage the particles if they are in the way when the opening is closing.
The present invention addresses these and other shortcomings through a method of dispensing material from a plurality of reservoirs in a manner that does not damage the particles. The features and advantages of the present invention will be explored more thoroughly through the following description and drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating particular embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, and various modifications may naturally be performed without deviating from the spirit of the present invention.